


Fatal Wounds

by Taybay



Category: Coco (2017)
Genre: F/M, get ready for the angst, takes place before the movie
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-02
Updated: 2018-05-20
Packaged: 2019-05-01 05:13:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,703
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14513301
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Taybay/pseuds/Taybay
Summary: Héctor thought he’d be prepared to see Imelda in the afterlife, but as usual, things never turn out like he planned.





	1. Unexpected meetings

Héctor wasn’t surprised to find himself awake the night before Dias de Muertos.

Most people would think that with him having been dead so long, he’d be over the first-time jitters that came with the holiday. However, Héctor wasn’t like most people. They never had to experience crossing the Marigold bridge for the first time, only to feel your feet sink into the petals, refusing to let you go any further.

No, they didn’t understand what it was like to be picked up and told that no one has put up their photo, so crossing the bridge would be impossible.  Of course, back then it was easy to just keep trying to go cross the bridge regardless. But now with the new security system having been installed, the bridge became even harder to access.

With these machines in place, the land of the dead finally had a way to weed out the ones without ofrenda photos and buckle down on security. It served as a way to diminish having to pick out multiple people from the bridge, but to Héctor it was only another obstacle keeping him from his family.  

And while he had always had a unique fascination with technology, he felt nothing but contempt for this particular one. They wouldn’t even let him just _try_ crossing the bridge, just to be sure their monitors hadn’t made a mistake-

So with knowing all that, could anyone blame him for being nervous? Every year, the machine has presented him with a big, fat red X.

What if things turned out the same this year? Or the next? Would more days go by where he was left to stomach down another year of disappointment?

Frowning, hector sighed out.  

 “Ugh, what am I doing…”

This wasn’t how he liked to handle things, what good did it do to be moping around on his worn-out mattress? It certainly wasn’t going to fix his situation. If anything, he needed to stay positive, and grab on to whatever hope he had left of crossing the bridge.

He couldn’t give up, he had to keep trying.

Sitting up, Héctor hastily put on his straw hat.  If he wasn’t going to get any sleep tonight, he should at least keep his mind busy with something else. Maybe a walk and some fresh air would help clear his thoughts.

And that’s how eventually he found himself outside of Chicharrón’s bungalow tent. Pulling back the curtains, he looked around the room for the collector.

“Hey Chicharrón, “Héctor rang out cheerfully, “are you up?”

Somewhere hidden in a hammock underneath the usual pile of junk, Héctor heard an annoyed grumble.

“No. Go away.”

“Aw, come on, I was hoping for some company tonight… I could play that song you like?”

Chicharrón rolled over (somehow, despite the mess sitting on top of his body), completely determined to ignore him. After a couple more minutes of Héctor trying to coax the man out of his self-made cocoon, eventually, he sighed out defeated. Stepping back, he let the curtains fall back into place.

“Fine, fine. I’ll just go see what everyone else is up to.”

“Probably enjoying their sleep, unlike me…” Chicharrón mumbled out from inside the tent.

Ironically, that was never the case in shanty town. The place was always filled with constant movement and noise, so silence was a rare delicacy here. Even that burning trashcan seemed to have possessed some kind of eternal flame.

When his cousins spotted him, their faces quickly lit up as they motioned for him to join their little get together. A smile of his own grew onto his face as he walked towards them, happy to see the usual friendly crowd.

Thinking about it, those few friendly faces had made the world of a difference when he had first stumbled into this place. Having died the way he did, there weren’t homes for people like him, and he certainly didn’t have a family here to turn to either. Instead, he was left to wander around the streets with nothing but the clothes on his back.

Choosing to stay in shanty town had given him a sense of belonging again. There was a nice air of camaraderie amongst them, and a healthy sense of community from having been connected through a similar misfortune.

Together they really were like one big family. Forgotten but remembered by each other.

Finally reaching the group, Héctor eagerly sat down along with them. Tía Chelo looked pointedly at Héctor, although her eyes shined with what he suspected to be a hint of amusement.

"Were you bothering Chicharron again, Héctor?”

“Me? Bother chicharron? Never, he knows he secretly likes me. “he laughed. A smile of her own spread across her face, as she laughed alongside him.

“That’s probably true, he never let _me_ borrow his femur.”

Next to him, one of his cousins raised up the half bottle empty he had been holding in his hand.

“Hey, amigos, let’s have a toast for Héctor, as good luck for crossing the bridge!”

Héctor could only smile at that. Toasting him seemed to have become a tradition of sorts for them, it was their own way of cheering him on from the sidelines.

“Thanks, guys…I know that I don’t say this enough but, I really do appreciate you all.”

His cousin playfully elbowed him in the ribs. “That’s what family is for, ain’t it?”

Passing the bottle around, everyone began taking a sip, wishing Héctor the best of luck until it found its way into his hand.

 _Well, he does need all the luck he can get._ With that being said, he drank the last few ounces out of the bottle.

As the hours began to fly by with the company of his friends, the sun’s rays also started to peek out over the city. Feeling the warmth of the sun land on his back, he knew it was time for him get going. Standing up, everyone wished him good luck one last time, before letting him leave the town.

 

 

________________________________

 

 

Arriving at the Marigold Grand Central station, Héctor immediately filed into one of the many lines. It normally took around an hour or two to reach the front, which meant he would be spending an hour or two dealing with his nerves.

He reminded himself to continue to stay positive, maybe this year could even be the year, who’s to say until he’s tried? Maybe, by some string of random luck, he’d stand in front of the monitor and be surprised to find that his picture had been put up.

The agent would then turn to him with a smile and say something along the lines of ‘you’re good to go or have a nice visit’, before letting him cross the bridge to finally see Imelda and Coco.

His mind flickered for a moment at the thought of them. What would his family look like now, after all this time? What kind of person did Coco grow up to be? Did she ever get married and have any kids of her own? It was hard for him to imagine how much she’s must have changed from the small girl he once held in his arms.

He could still remember the way her shoes clapped against the floor as she ran towards him and how warm touch of her tiny hands felt in his.  

And Imelda- what is she like now, how had she fared after his death? They had once talked about growing old together, who would go grey first. Obviously, that would never be likely for him anymore, so he tried his best to picture Imelda with grey hair…

“Next!” called out the agent.

Héctor flinched slightly before lifting his eyes up. He didn’t even realize he had gotten so close to the front. In fact, he was almost next. And like a flash, His nerves started back up ten-fold, as he let out a shaky breath.

Two gentlemen ahead of him stepped up to the monitor. The agent greeted them pleasantly as they stepped in front of the camera to have their faces scanned.

“Alright, looks like you’re on your families ofrenda, have a great visit!”

The two men turned to the woman behind them, a nervous look on their face.

“Alright, we’ll see you-

“-on the bridge, Imelda.”

Héctor’s mouth ran completely dry.

It couldn’t be- no, the department would have notified him if she had passed. There’s no way that it could be her, it’s not like there weren’t others named Imelda. But as he paid closer attention, he couldn’t ignore how her much dark purple dress and hair were eerily similar to his wife’s own personal style.

The woman in front of him, oblivious to Héctor’s internal struggle, put her hands on her hips in an annoyed fashion.

“Yes, yes, I know, go on already.”  Her voice came out smoothly yet was edged like a sharp knife, completely washing over him as if it demanded all of his attention. Just like it did in the past.

He’d be a fool to continue denying the obvious. The person standing in front of him was in fact, Imelda Rivera.

There was no doubt about it.

To say that Héctor wasn’t prepared for this, would have been an understatement. It’s not that he didn’t think he’d see Imelda in the afterlife, he knew that _someday_ he would see her again. He’d gone over it in his head hundreds- no thousands of times, down to what he would do, what he would say-

But none of those hypothetical situations matched this scenario.

His knees felt like they were going to collapse, all of his tact seemed to have vanished into thin air and he wasn’t even sure he could form a coherent sentence at this point. And yet, before he could stop himself, he found that his mouth had suddenly moved on its own.

“Imelda?”

She immediately froze, her shoulders tensed, and her fingers dug into her dress. It was like she had turned into a statue, not moving a single muscle. Slowly, she turned her face towards him, eyes wide open with surprise.

The Imelda that stood before him now was still as breathtaking as ever. Her hair, now streaked with tints of white and gray, had given her an older appearance, but she was still familiar to him all the same. As she blinked he couldn’t help but noticed how her eyes were burned through him, almost as if she were looking into the very being of his soul. _She knew who he was._

So, he took a chance, he took a step towards her.

But the minute his foot touched the ground, the air around them seem to snap. Her eyes lost the warmth they held and began to be replaced with years of deep-rooted rage and animosity. 

Gritting her teeth, he knew that she was about to speak. But he also knew, that whatever she was going to say next, and he wouldn’t be prepared for it.


	2. Broken Hearts and Memories

_“You think I’d just let you waltz right back into my life as if nothing happened, as if everything were fine? Ha, what a joke! I never thought you for a comedian!”_

_“No- you don’t get to come back when it’s convenient for you-AH, don’t try to explain yourself to me, you said enough the day you left me alone with a child- “_

_“I want nothing to do with you, not then, and not now! Stay away from me, my family, and especially from Coco! “_

_She had left him standing there, furiously turning on her heels as she left, not looking back once. The portion of the line behind him were completely speechless, as if Imelda had been yelling at them alongside Héctor. Even the Department agent’s jaw had dropped open in surprise._

_Eventually, she had regained her composure and asked for him to step up to the camera. He could hear the whispers behind him spread through the line as they gossiped over the spectacle they had just witness. He didn’t look back, he couldn’t even if he had wanted too. His eyes were glued to Imelda’s retreating figure as she walked further down the marigold bridge._

His confrontation with Imelda had happened hours ago, and yet it still weighed down on his mind as if it had just occurred. Each word she spoke had stabbed into him like a knife, painfully twisting into the wound. Her voice was still ringing through his head, he could barely concentrate on much else, in fact, he wasn’t even sure where his feet were taking him right now.

But it’s not like he didn’t deserved it.

He had abandoned _everything_ to chase after what he thought he needed. It was naïve of him to think he could fix his mistakes and all the lost years between them with a few excuses.

_Stay away from me, my family, and especially from Coco!_

However even with knowing that he deserved every single lashing that had been thrown his way, he couldn’t help the sick feeling gathering inside him. Losing his wife had crushed him more than anything- but if he lost Coco too, if she resented him as much as Imelda did…

Hector grimaced at the thought.

Abruptly, he felt his face slam hard against a concrete wall, painfully slapping into the surface. Letting out a pained noise, he scrambled backwards.

“I really need to pay attention to where I’m going…”

After the sharp sting in his skull settled down, Héctor opened his eyes to look at the wall in front of him. Ernesto’s face was plastered all over the wall on posters, not leaving even an inch uncovered.

Judging by the flyer, it looked like he’d be preforming at the end of Dias de Muertos again, and would finish out the concert with his fan favorite song, Remember me.

His mouth twitched at that. The world just loved to keep knocking him down, especially when he was already at his lowest. Even after his death, Héctor had assumed that Ernesto would have at least respected his wishes, but no, his “friend” took his song, _Coco’s song,_ and got the fame he’d always wanted.

_It wasn’t supposed to be for the world. Ernesto knew that._

For a split second, he felt himself began to resent Ernesto. After all, it was him who had gotten Héctor into this mess in the first place. None of this would even be happening if it wasn’t for him.

But even his most bitter thoughts didn’t last long as they were quickly sucked out of him every second. Blaming Ernesto wouldn’t change anything, it was cowardly to project his guilt onto someone else. No one had forced Hector to leave, this had all been his choice.

And now, he was paying the toll for it.

 

 

____________________________

 

 

_It all started with a knock on the door. Héctor wasn’t expecting any visitors this early in the day, so he had been spending the time playing with his daughter. Scooping her into his arms, he went to go see who it could be._

_Upon opening the door, Héctor was greeted by the sight of his longtime friend, Ernesto._

_“Hola, Hector. And you too, Little Coco.”_

_Reaching out, Ernesto’s larger hand covered the top of Coco’s head, gently petting it so her tightly braided hair wouldn’t mess up. Giggling at the touch, she let out a small grin._

_“Ernesto,” Héctor started, “What brings you here so early, we don’t perform until later tonight?”_

_His friend straightens at the question, adopting a more serious expression on his face. Héctor lifted up an eyebrow in suspicion, trying to guess at what might be the nature of his visit._

_After taking a deep breath, Ernesto continued._

_“I simply came to talk.”_

_At that, he wanted to let out a long, tired sigh. Héctor was sure he already knew what Ernesto came to talk about. Setting Coco down, he told her he’d join her later, and for her to go play with her toys in her room._

_Not questioning a thing, she happily left the room. Turning back, Héctor lead Ernesto to chair at the dining table. When they were both situated, Héctor finally allowed himself to cut to the chase._

_“So, you wanted to talk about us leaving town again?”_

_“You know me all too well.” Ernesto smiled, though it didn’t reach his eyes._

_“Ernesto, we’ve been over this, “Héctor said tensely, already exhausted by the topic._   _“We make enough.”_

_"We make enough to get by.” Ernesto corrected harshly, “We’re practically nobodies, Héctor! All the real money and fame is outside this suffocating, little town!”_

_“I can’t just get up and leave-you know that! I have a daughter, a wife! “_

_“All which will be here when you come back.”_

_His friend sighed out in frustration as his hand ruffled through his hair. They had fallen into an uncomfortable silence, both knowing that once again, they were at a stale mate. Eventually, Ernesto spoke up once again._

_“Whatever happened to that scrawny little kid with the beat-up guitar, the same one whose eyes would light up whenever we talked about getting out of here? You’ve changed, you said you thought of me like a brother, that we’d both make it out of this place.”_

_Héctor shrugged, a loose frown hanging on his face._

_“I grew up. I got married, started a family. Things are different now, it’s not that I don’t care about you, it’s just that you’re not the only person I care about anymore.”_

_Even after he finished speaking, Héctor knew Ernesto wouldn’t understand, there were just somethings they could never see eye to eye on. Marriage and kids were a completely foreign concept to him. But Héctor wasn't like that, he understood what you had to give up in order to start something as life changing as a family._

_“Maybe if you found the right girl, you’d understand.”_

_Ernesto looked like he wanted to laugh at that, letting out a genuine smiled._

_“The only girls I care about are my chihuahua’s at home, not everyone can be as committed as you, friend.”_

_Losing the small hint of humor on his face, Ernesto’s eyebrows scrunched up a bit, probably trying to figure out his next line of action in his endless attempts to convince Hector to leave with him. But before he could open his mouth again, a loud yell came from the hallway._

_“Papa!”_

_The next thing he saw was Coco, tears in her eyes as she was running towards him. The sudden scream nearly made Héctor fall out of his chair. Immediately, he wasted no time in rushing over to her._

_As Coco’s crying became softer, He noticed that she was holding her doll in her hands. The doll head ripped, hanging off its shoulder as the stuffing spilled out._

“Papa…” she hiccupped out again, but this time Héctor was close enough to wipe her tears away from her cheeks with his thumb.

_“Ah, I’m sorry mija, Papa will see if he can sew it back together again.”_

_Taking the doll out of her hand, he suggested for her to go and play with one of her other toys until he fixed it. After She had left the room, Héctor looked back down at the roughed-up thing._

_This wasn’t his first time sewing together a doll, especially this one in particular. It had been one of Coco’s favorite, though after a couple years, it was beginning to wear out. He needed to get her a new one, but they didn’t have the money it now, so he was going to have to put it off for a bit. He just hoped the doll lasted until then._

_Leaving Ernesto at the table, he went across the room to find the box full of Imelda’s sewing tools. However, he didn’t make it far, as Ernesto’s voice picked up again._

_“You know, if we were making more money, you could buy her new dolls.”_

_Héctor felt himself pause. He didn’t want to let Ernesto know that he was stepping on a sore spot, and a reaction was exactly what he wanted. This was some sort of elaborate trap, another attempt at baiting him like a fish to a hook._

_“In fact, you could be getting your family all kinds of nice things. With all the money we'd be earning, things would really change, for all of us. But instead, we’re here, begging for scraps from anyone who so much as glances our way. I just don't understand why you’d rather stay here, than give them the secure future they deserve.”_

_Despite the scream in the back of his mind that was pleading with him to not listen, Héctor found himself agreeing with Ernesto. Had he really been denying his family a better life? He’s always thought that he needed to let go of his old dreams in order to do right by them, but had he been wrong?_

_He was suddenly flashed by a memory of Imelda, where she had been eyeing this beautiful dress from the moment they entered the store. But, eventually she had decided against getting it. Out of curiosity as to why, Héctor had went over to the dress, only to find that the cost was completely out of their price range._

_It was so painfully obvious how much she had wanted it at the time, he wished he could have given it to her. Imelda had told him that she didn't need something like that anyway, but back then, it didn’t stop the helpless pit of shame that plopped in his stomach._

_And now, Coco’s favorite doll’s head was falling off its shoulders. He felt useless, they deserved more than this._

_“So, Héctor… I'll ask you one more time, do we stay here, continuing to struggle to stay afloat? Or do we seize our moment, and make it out big there?”_

_“I…I’d need to talk to Imelda first.”_

_As soon as the words left his mouth, Ernesto looked up, happier than he’d ever been in the last couple of years. His grin resembled the look of a fisherman, holding up his prized fish._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoo this chapter was something else, it took way longer than It should have. Fun fact, originally the part with Ernesto trying to convince Héctor to leave with him was supposed to be part of a series of oneshots I had planned, that would have been from his point of view. But as I started getting ideas for this fic, I didn’t want to just throw the entire thing away, and so I ended up using it here. Of course, it’s a bit of a shame, Ernesto’s POV was so much darker than Héctor’s, it would have been fun to write. Anyway, Imelda’s POV is coming up, so maybe some questions will be answered? :^)


End file.
